| Blizzard Kills Titan MMO 7 Years Into Development Posted: 23 Sep 2014 02:35 PM PDT  Seven years into the project, Titan's developers couldn't find the fun or passion.
Bad news if you were pinning your hopes on Titan being your next MMO after you've grown tired of World of Warcraft. After spending at least seven years in development, Blizzard has officially cancelled Titan, putting an end to a project that Blizzard ultimately decided it wasn't something it wanted to do at this time. On the bright side, Blizzard may still make another MMO someday, but for now, that's not the direction it wants to take. Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime revealed the decision in an interview with Polygon, telling the site that it just couldn't get excited about the project. The company knew it could make a successful MMO -- World of Warcraft proved it -- but despite plans to build an ambitious follow-up, the team just couldn't get it to come together. "We didn't find the fun," Morhaime said. "We didn't find the passion. We talked about how we put it through a reevaluation period, and actually, what we reevaluated is whether that's the game we really wanted to be making. The answer is no." So just like that, Blizzard pulled the plug, though after spending that much time on the game, the decision to do so was an "excruciating" one. Reading through the interview, it seems that Blizzard is perhaps overly sensitive to being pegged as an MMORPG company, or any other genre for that matter. "We just want to make great games every time," Morhaime said. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 5820K Haswell-E, Crucial MX100 256GB SSD, and More! Posted: 23 Sep 2014 02:00 PM PDT |
| Thinking of Cancelling Your DK2 Order for Cresent Bay? Think Again Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:30 AM PDT Oculus confirms that Crescent Bay prototype isn't for sale If you recently ordered an Oculus Rift development kit 2, but are still waiting for it to arrive, you might be wondering if Oculus will let you hold off on DK2 in favor of the newer, snazzier Crescent Bay prototype. At least, that's a situation we found ourselves in. 
Rumor has it that Oculus' Crescent Bay prototype is running a much sharper 1440p-resolution display We placed our order for DK2 on August 13 and are still waiting for it to arrive, but after Oculus revealed that its Crescent Bay headset would feature 360-degree head tracking and a higher-resolution screen among other improvements at its Oculus Connect event this past weekend , we couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and dismay at the same time. "Our DK2 order we placed over a month ago hasn't arrived yet and they've already announced a new, better unit," we immediately thought to ourselves. Quick to react, we hastily emailed Oculus' customer support, "We were just wondering if it would be possible to hold out on receiving the DK2 in favor of the recently unveiled Crescent Bay prototype," we asked, adding, "We would be willing to pay any differences as need be. Let us know if this is possible." An Oculus support rep responded, "Unfortunately, the Crescent Bay prototype that was shown at Oculus Connect is not for sale. If you'd still like to cancel your order, I'd be happy to assist you. Simply reply to this email and I'll start the process." So there you have it, Oculus confirmed that it has no current plans to sell the Crescent Bay prototype, at least not in its current incarnation. The good news is that if you'd like to cancel your DK2 order, Oculus is making that process easy. Those that are eager to get their hands on the more advanced headset will have to wait a little longer. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. |
| Razer Launches DeathAdder Chroma Mouse with Upgraded Sensor and Multi-Color Lighting Posted: 23 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT  DeathAdder mouse evolves
One of my favorite mice of all time is Razer's original DeathAdder. Back before I wore the thing out, it felt comfortable, was lightweight and responsive, and didn't overburden me with too many buttons. Just an all-around solid mouse that Razer claims is still the best-selling gaming rodent since it was released in 2006. Fast forward to today and the original is now better than ever -- Razer just announced the DeathAdder Chroma, essentially a tweaked version of the original with a higher DPI and fancy lights. Like the original, the DeathAdder Chroma is ergonomically designed for right-handed users (Razer went on to offer a left-handed version of the original, so perhaps that's in the cards here as well). It has textured rubber side grips, five independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons, on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment, 200 inches per second/50g acceleration, 1,000Hz Ultrapolling, and a 7-foot braided fiber cable. What's new to this version, however, is an upgraded 10,000 DPI optical sensor (up from 6,400 in the original) that can track lift-off distance as precise as 1mm on most surfaces, and Chroma lighting with 16.8 million customizable color options. The DeathAdder Chroma is available now for $70 direct from Razer. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Survey Says: Desktops En Vogue Again Posted: 23 Sep 2014 10:01 AM PDT Satisfaction growing for desktop PCs among mainstream Americans For enthusiasts, this won't be news but after feasting on the empty calories of tablets and phones for years, mainstream consumers may finally have had enough and may be looking for something with a little more substance in their tech diets: the old-fashioned desktop PC. At least that's part of the conclusion of a new survey released today that gauges American "satisfaction" which says consumers may be turning to desktop PCs again. Desktops, in fact, now actually satisfy more Americans more than tablets and laptops, survey data shows. The annual survey was conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index out of Ann Arbor, Mich. And attempts to quantify overall satisfaction with consumer purchases of goods and services. "Contrary to most predictions, the PC may be on the verge of making a bit of a comeback: sales of desktops are no longer falling after years of significant decline. On the other hand, tablet sales growth appears to have slowed. As the early enthusiasm with tablets wears off, customer satisfaction dips (-1% to 80) and now trails slightly behind desktops (+3% to 81), although both lead laptops (-4% to 76) by a wide margin," the report says. Consumption of tablets and smartphones have been off the charts for years which had analysts and the media predicting the death of the PC. Apparently that ain't so. 
"(Consumers have) got their mobile devices now," said, David Van Amburg, managing director of the ACSI, "Maybe we need to go back and replace this PC which is three, four or five years old." Van Amburg told Maximum PC the survey data indicates consumers are likely becoming jaded with the tablet and phone upgrades and have begun to buy desktop PCs again. Van Amburg said the last time they bought their PCs they may have been beige boxes but their new desktop PC purchases reflect the changes the PC has gone through in design, style, and performance. "According to customers, PC makers do a good job of creating reliable products that don't often crash and have good processor speeds (both 82 percent). Devices are easy to use (81 percent) with attractive features such as preloaded software or apps, memory, and data storage (80 percent)," the survey said. Big PC makers shouldn't take too much solace in the survey numbers though. The survey shows that from 2013 to 2014, Dell suffered a 4 percent drop in "satisfaction" with its products at 76 percent in the latest survey. HP took a bit hit going from 80 percent satisfaction to 74 percent. Toshiba, which recently threw in the towel on consumer PCs, also took a hit going from 78 percent to 75 percent. Even Apple lost ground going from an impressive 87 percent in 2013 to 84 percent. These numbers, however, reflect PCs, laptops and tablets bunched together. That, Van Amburg, says may explain Apple's drop in satisfaction. Rather than Mac users being less satisfied, he said it's likely the iPad and iPhone users who are dragging the scores down. That implies that even Apple fans are turning back to servicing the desktop as well. The satisfaction survey data is good news for smaller vendors such as Samsung, Asus and Lenovo. In its "all others" category, the ACSI survey said consumer satisfaction grew by 8 percent. It's not known if even smaller more customized PC builders helped move the needle or not. 
As an industry, Van Amburg said overall, the personal computers (including tablets and laptops) rank as only medicore in satisfaction as they should be benchmarked against durable goods items. Televisions and video players, for example, get an 86 percent compared to the 78 percent for computers, laptops and tablets. On the bottom of the ACSI's list are: Internet Service Providers, subscription television, airlines, social media, and cell phone companies and the US Postal service. Credit unions and soft drinks rank far higher. For the personal computer category, the ASCI scientifically selected 3,000 consumers through phone and email during April, May and June. 
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| Microsoft's Wireless Display Adapter Streams Miracast Devices to Your HDTV Posted: 23 Sep 2014 09:21 AM PDT  Watch video from your PC or Android device on your big screen TV
Have you ever tried to show a friend or family member a video of something funny on the Internet only to find yourself surrounded by several other people, all of which are trying to see what all the fuss is about? The smell of Aunt Linda's perfume combined with Uncle Andy's insistence that you start the video over can drive a person mad. If you happen to own a Miracast-enabled device, the solution is simple -- meet Microsoft's new Wireless Display Adapter. Using the Wireless Display Adapter, you can fling content from your Miracast-enabled Windows 8.1 and Android 4.2.1 or later devices to your HDTV. No more huddling around your Surface PC or Nexus 7 tablet -- just sit back and share those vacation photos and other content on your television. One advantage of the Wireless Display Adapter over Google's Chromecast is that you're simply mirroring content on your device wirelessly. That eliminates the need for app support -- if it appears on your Miracast-enabled device, it will appear on your TV. The downside? Cost, which we'll get to in a moment. The dongle consists of an HDMI connector on one end and a USB connector on the other end. Both must be plugged into your television. Once you do that, just select the correct input, pair it with your device, and you're all set. Pretty slick, though the $60 MSRP is sure to turn some folks off. For those interested, you can place your pre-order now -- it's slated for release on October 31, 2014. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Roccat's Kave XTD Stereo Gaming Headset Wields 50mm Drivers Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:37 AM PDT  The XTD 5.1's little brother
German peripherals maker Roccat just added the Kave XTD Stereo to its growing line of audio peripherals, along with a combat themed version that it's calling Kave XTD Stereo Military. Other than the color scheme, these two headsets are the same -- both sport 50mm neodymium magnet drivers shoved inside padded earcups. According to Roccat, these are ultra-lightweight but durable headsets. "Our renowned Kave XTD Series has a brand new family member that provides high-class stereo sound with outstanding design and unmatched quality," says René Korte, founder and CEO of Roccat Studios. "When Roccat designs a headset, we make big claims and we back them up." Those "big claims" in this case include "massive dynamic range" with "crystal clear sound" that allows gamers to discern distinct details -- boost rustling through the grass or opponents whispering to each other, and so forth. The headsets feature a clip-on inline remote with volume control and a mute switch. There's also a 360-degree rotatable and detachable noise-cancelling microphone. We're told the Kave XTD Stereo and Kave XTD Stereo Military will both sell for around $80, though the price may vary depending on distributor. No word on when they'll hit retail shelves. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Microsoft Makes It Easier for Eligible Students to Claim Office 365 for Free Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:08 AM PDT A price point students can afford Are you enrolled in college? If so, you have enough expenses already -- tuition, books, parking, beer, and so forth. The last thing you want to do is spend even more money on software, hence why your PC is filled with open source software. That's one option, though if you'd prefer to roll with Office, it might not cost you a dime. Microsoft just introduced a self-serve model for students and teachers that lets them claim Office 356 at no cost. "It was just about a year ago we announced Student Advantage, a benefit that allows eligible students to get Office 365 from their school for free. One drawback to Student Advantage—the onus has been on the school to initiate the service, create an account and order the Office 365 license on behalf of the student," Microsoft said. Not anymore. If you're a student and at least 13 years old, you can check your eligibility by going to Office 365 for Students and entering in a valid school-provided email address. If you qualify, you'll receive the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, and Publisher, which you can install on up to five systems. You'll also receive 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage and access to Office Online. So, what makes you eligible? To qualify, you must attend a school that has purchased Office for the entire organization through Microsoft's Volume Licensing program. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
